Into the Madness
by kendy
Summary: Jimmy's going to make something of himself. Futurefic.


TITLE: Into the Madness  
DISCLAIMER: Smallville belongs to a lot of people, and none of them are me.  
AUTHORS NOTES: My first SV fanfic. I love Jimmy, comics and SV. Jimmys ending disappointed me, but theres so much to look forward to in the future with what they set up. I had to write this. Takes place in a Smallville universe when Clarks finally Superman.  
SPOILERS: The end of season eights finale, Doomsday  
CHARACTERS: Jimmy, Perry, Lois, Clark  
RATING: G

"James --"

"Jimmy." The soft correction fell on deaf ears as the older man clapped him on the shoulder, nearly toppling the thin 16-year-old boy over. Jimmy straightened up, his hands coming up to fix his bowtie, and he quickly turned bright eyes to look up at Perry White. "Mr. White? Sir--" Jimmy stumbled with the words, at a loss of what to say, and looked away. Perry's hand tightened his grip.

"Let me introduce you to Ms. Lane and Mr. Kent. Lois'll have you do the most work, I'm sure, kid. After you meet them, I'll show you around the Planet." _Until I find something better to do_ was left unsaid. Jimmy understood it, though. Mr. White was the editor-in-chief of The Daily Planet. He had a whole paper to run. No time to entertain some kid who was going to get coffee and make photo copies.

Jimmy dutifully followed Mr. White out of his office and into the hallway. The man introduced him to various people as they went. He would never remember any of this and for the first time, he wished he was a reporter, and not a photographer, so he could have an excuse for a tape recorder attached to his hand.

"You following me, James?"

"Huh?" The word fell uselessly from his lips and he shook himself from his stupor, looking dumbly at the man, who smiled at him a little impatiently. Jimmy opened and closed his mouth. He understood that look. His father often wore it around him. It spoke of: 'Are you really this dumb or just pretending?' Or at least very mild exasperation.

"Come along," Perry sighed, and Jimmy nodded, following him into the bullpen where he'd be doing most of his work. He led him over to two desks, where only one was occupied at the moment. "Lane! Where's Kent?" He was met with silence, and his voice rose a notch with real exasperation, unlike the veiled kind hed used with Jimmy before, Lane!

The brunette at the desk looked up briefly, before turning her attention back to the computer, bored. Her hands never stopped typing. Jimmy couldnt help but be a little curious -- wondering what she could possibly be writing. But this was Lois Lane! He was probably witnessing a Pulitzer Prize in the making. "He had something to do," she explained, voice still just as bored. Perry frowned at her, but nodded.

Turning to Jimmy, he offered a slight smile, "I'm going to leave you here with Lane. She'll answer all the questions you have. I have to go see if I can find Kent." Without waiting for a response, he practically dashed off, leaving the teenager standing awkwardly with Lois Lane.

Jimmy looked at Lois uncomfortably for a moment, before turning his head away, eyes on the floor. After the moment stretched on, the silence only broken by her clacking of keys, he returned his gaze back to her. "You need me to do anything for you, Ms. Lane?" He hoped he didnt sound too eager - that was the last thing he needed to be sounding.

Lois started at the sound of Jimmy's voice, and she looked up, considering him. "I do have a lead I need to check out. I just got the address. You'll do the faxing I need done," she decided, standing up. She didn't wait for a response and shoved a bunch of papers into his hands. She grabbed her purse and keys from her desk, and turned to leave, but then turned back to him, curious. "What's your name, kid?" she asked, but then shook her head, "Never mind. I don't have time right now."

Jimmy ran a hand through his mop of bright red hair, nervously staring at the papers in his hand. She hadn't even told him where she needed them sent.

"That's Lois, for you," a voice commented, laughing, from behind, startling Jimmy. The papers fell to the ground and he groaned loudly. "I'm sorry," the voice continued, and Jimmy finally turned, eyes falling onto a tall man, who was currently kneeling and gathering his papers for him. "I didn't mean to scare you." He was tall and wore a suit almost as ugly as Jimmys. Glasses covered his face, large and noticeable. He looked like even more of a geek than Jimmy himself.

"Uh, thanks, Mister," he muttered, and leaned down, picking the last few up, accepting the others from him, and adding them back to his stack. They were out of order now. And he had no idea what was going where. This was not the first impression he wanted to me. "I'm just a little nervous today," he added, hoping to excuse himself. But he was always a little klutzy. But it was better not to tell them this on the first day. Or maybe theyd rethink hiring him. He swallowed hard at that idea. He couldnt afford that. This job meant far too much to him.

"Call me Clark. Clark Kent. You must be Jimmy. I've heard about you, from Perry. Amazing photographer for someone so young."

Jimmy felt his face heat up, "Thanks," he muttered again. Clark smiled kindly at him.

"Sorry you're going to be the gopher for a while."

"At least I'm at the Planet," Jimmy said, and shrugged. He gave Clark a lopsided smile, and turned his eyes towards the window, scanning the blue skies.

"What do you like to photograph?"

Jimmy's smile turned genuine, and he continued to search the sky, "People. I love to study people. Someday, I am going to be Superman's personal photographer."

"Ah," Clark said, and his lips twitched slightly, as if he thought it was funny, but he nodded, "Good luck. Superman's been very picky at who he lets near him. Even Lois has a hard time sometimes to get him to agree to interviews."

Jimmy grinned, "I know. But he and I are going to be pals. I can feel it."

"Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen?"

Jimmy beamed, "Just wait, Mr. Kent -- Clark," he said, at the look he received. "Everyone's gonna know my name."

And they would.

He'd make his brother proud.


End file.
